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Saturday, January 17, 2026

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John Degen

John Degen is a novelist and poet. He is executive director of The Writers' Union of Canada and chair of the International Authors Forum.

Canada should fix its cultural Main Street

  • Should Canada invest in and encourage new technologies? Sure. But can we please do so without ignoring crumbling cultural infrastructure? Stop the monorail; Canada’s
Opinion | BY JOHN DEGEN | January 7, 2026
Culture Minister Marc Miller, pictured on the Hill. Along with music and comedy, Canadian writing and publishing are likely our greatest cultural exports. The world knows us through our stories. But since that golden age of cultural support, deep cracks have appeared that threaten the viability of our cultural Main Street, writes John Degen. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade

Canada should fix its cultural Main Street

Opinion | BY JOHN DEGEN | January 7, 2026
  • Should Canada invest in and encourage new technologies? Sure. But can we please do so without ignoring crumbling cultural infrastructure? Stop the monorail; Canada’s

Canada should fix its cultural Main Street

Opinion | BY JOHN DEGEN | January 7, 2026
  • Should Canada invest in and encourage new technologies? Sure. But can we please do so without ignoring crumbling cultural infrastructure? Stop the monorail; Canada’s
Culture Minister Marc Miller, pictured on the Hill. Along with music and comedy, Canadian writing and publishing are likely our greatest cultural exports. The world knows us through our stories. But since that golden age of cultural support, deep cracks have appeared that threaten the viability of our cultural Main Street, writes John Degen. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade

Pay your copying bill, or pay a much bigger bill

  • In a recent op-ed in this paper, Glenn Rollans from the Association of Canadian Publishers called on government to encourage educators to come back
Opinion | BY JOHN DEGEN | July 11, 2018
Heritage Minister Mélanie Joly's department is jointly responsible for overseeing the review of the Copyright Act. The Writes' Union of Canada is calling on the government to increase the statutory damages to draw educators back to the negotiating table. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade

Pay your copying bill, or pay a much bigger bill

Opinion | BY JOHN DEGEN | July 11, 2018
  • In a recent op-ed in this paper, Glenn Rollans from the Association of Canadian Publishers called on government to encourage educators to come back

Pay your copying bill, or pay a much bigger bill

Opinion | BY JOHN DEGEN | July 11, 2018
  • In a recent op-ed in this paper, Glenn Rollans from the Association of Canadian Publishers called on government to encourage educators to come back
Heritage Minister Mélanie Joly's department is jointly responsible for overseeing the review of the Copyright Act. The Writes' Union of Canada is calling on the government to increase the statutory damages to draw educators back to the negotiating table. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade

Time to fix Canada’s copyright mistake

  • Some weeks ago, scholars at Concordia University in Montreal were caught infringing copyright in what appeared to be acts of wholesale book piracy. This
Opinion | BY JOHN DEGEN | May 8, 2017
Weak copyright legislation allows universities to infringe on the intellectual rights of content creators, writes John Degan. The Hill Times photograph by Cynthia Münster

Time to fix Canada’s copyright mistake

Opinion | BY JOHN DEGEN | May 8, 2017
  • Some weeks ago, scholars at Concordia University in Montreal were caught infringing copyright in what appeared to be acts of wholesale book piracy. This

Time to fix Canada’s copyright mistake

Opinion | BY JOHN DEGEN | May 8, 2017
  • Some weeks ago, scholars at Concordia University in Montreal were caught infringing copyright in what appeared to be acts of wholesale book piracy. This
Weak copyright legislation allows universities to infringe on the intellectual rights of content creators, writes John Degan. The Hill Times photograph by Cynthia Münster

Don’t pit consumers against artists in cultural policy review

  • In May, Heritage Minister Mélanie Joly announced a review of Canadian cultural policy, one that would put laws, regulations, and funding mechanisms on the
Opinion | BY JOHN DEGEN | August 8, 2016
In May, Canadian Heritage Minister Mélanie Joly announced a review of Canadian cultural policy, one that would put laws, regulations, and funding mechanisms on the table for possible amendment or updating in response to the digital shift. The Hill Times photograph by Jake Wright

Don’t pit consumers against artists in cultural policy review

Opinion | BY JOHN DEGEN | August 8, 2016
  • In May, Heritage Minister Mélanie Joly announced a review of Canadian cultural policy, one that would put laws, regulations, and funding mechanisms on the

Don’t pit consumers against artists in cultural policy review

Opinion | BY JOHN DEGEN | August 8, 2016
  • In May, Heritage Minister Mélanie Joly announced a review of Canadian cultural policy, one that would put laws, regulations, and funding mechanisms on the
In May, Canadian Heritage Minister Mélanie Joly announced a review of Canadian cultural policy, one that would put laws, regulations, and funding mechanisms on the table for possible amendment or updating in response to the digital shift. The Hill Times photograph by Jake Wright

Copyright disagreement between educational sector and writers ongoing

  • Last month, I was asked to testify at the Copyright Board of Canada. Naturally, I went. When Ottawa requests my presence on matters of
Opinion | BY JOHN DEGEN | March 2, 2016

Copyright disagreement between educational sector and writers ongoing

Opinion | BY JOHN DEGEN | March 2, 2016
  • Last month, I was asked to testify at the Copyright Board of Canada. Naturally, I went. When Ottawa requests my presence on matters of

Copyright disagreement between educational sector and writers ongoing

Opinion | BY JOHN DEGEN | March 2, 2016
  • Last month, I was asked to testify at the Copyright Board of Canada. Naturally, I went. When Ottawa requests my presence on matters of
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